When Justin Wood was completing his Master’s degree at the University of Calgary in 2011, he was playing varsity soccer and spending a lot of time outdoors. But then he started experiencing strange neurological symptoms. They were initially attributed to post-concussion syndrome. “Over the course of probably three or four years following that I became very, very ill,” Wood recalled. “Not just neurological symptoms, but whole-body symptoms as well until I was completely incapacitated. I couldn’t work, I could hardly walk, I couldn’t really take care of myself.” After visiting roughly 20 to 30 doctors, he was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease. “I was so sick at that point, I had a pretty long and prolonged treatment period to try and get better following that,” he said. Following an almost 10-year battle with the disease, Wood is now symptom free and making it his life’s work to help others through early detection. That’s why he founded Geneticks, a tick testing company based out of Uxbridge, Ont. “If you or a loved one or an animal has been bitten by a tick, you can remove that tick, you can send it to us or drop it off at our location, and then we do testing on the tick to tell you what kind of pathogens that tick was carrying,” explained Wood. “This is really important with tick-borne diseases and particularly Lyme disease, because we have an acute treatment window where we can treat people early and we have good prognoses, and they don’t go through the sort of ordeal that I went through.” He is also a staff scientist at the G. Magnotta Research Laboratory at the University of Guelph, which specializes in combating Lyme disease and related illnesses. “There’s a test that’s available through the Public Health Agency of Canada, but it’s serological tests, so you can’t even do it for the first six to eight weeks following a tick bite,” said Wood. With the increase in black-legged ticks the province has been seeing so far this year, Wood and his team have been keeping busy. “The reality is that every year we see an increase in the number of people seeking our services,” he said. More ticks this season Tick season typically runs from April through October, and experts said climate change is to blame for the increase in the bugs. “As the climate becomes warmer, more parts of Ontario will become hospitable for ticks,” said Dr. Richard Mather, a physician with Public Health Ontario. “Ticks can become attached to birds and then fall off in Ontario. So, you can find ticks anywhere in Ontario, but there’s only certain areas where we know they have established populations.” Public Health Ontario has an interactive vector-borne diseases tool on its website that shows where hotspots have been reported across the province. “So far in 2026, there are eight new risk areas in Ontario found in six different public health units,” said Mathers. He added that there have been 152 cases of Lyme disease in Ontario, compared to the 206 reported cases in the same time period last year. Waterloo region is also reporting confirmed cases of the disease. “Currently we have, to date, two confirmed and one probable case in Waterloo Region for 2026. However, none have been reported as locally acquired,” said Bernadette Moussa, the manager of health protection and healthy environments with Region of Waterloo Public Health. Last year in total, the region saw 26 confirmed cases. What causes Lyme disease? Only infected black-legged ticks can transmit the disease, which is why they’re the most commonly monitored. “[It] is a bacterial infection, and it’s caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi,” said Sarah Keating with the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. “If it’s caught early, it’s very treatable with antibiotics.” The tick will attach itself to a human or animal and dig under the skin. “The tick can stay attached for several days at a time, and it takes 24 hours for the bacteria to be transmitted from the belly of the tick into a person’s bloodstream,” Mather explained. Anyone bitten is encouraged to use tweezers to remove the bug and contact their doctor.“It’s also recommended that you visit E-tick and upload a photo of the tick to be able to identify the tick,” said Moussa. Tips for protection Ticks are most commonly found in grassy areas. Anyone spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in tall grass, should consider wearing light-coloured clothing so the bugs are easier to spot. Long pants and bug spray can also be useful deterrents. “Tucking pants into socks, staying out of deep grass,” said Keating. “Always do tick checks when you come in from walks or hikes and watching your dogs too because they can bring ticks into the house even if they’re on the preventative medication.” Tick removal kits can also be purchased to ensure the bug is properly removed without having to touch to squish them. “It’s a good idea to save [the tick] in the freezer in case you get sick,” Keating said.
